INDEPENDENT POLICE REVIEW AUTHORITY
Log #1063293/U #13-26
INVESTIGATION
NUMBER:
Log #1063293/U#13-26
INVOLVED
OFFICER:

INVOLVED
OFFICER’S
INJURIES:
WITNESS
OFFICER #1:

WITNESS
OFFICER’S #1
INJURIES:
WITNESS
OFFICER #2:

WITNESS
OFFICER’S #2
INJURIES:
WITNESS
OFFICER #3:

“Officer A” (Chicago Police Officer); Male/Hispanic; 38 years old;
On- Duty; Civilian Dress; Year of Appointment – 1998

None Sustained.

“Officer B” (Chicago Police Officer); Male/Asian; 38 years old;
On- Duty; Civilian Dress; Year of Appointment – 1998

None Sustained.

“Officer C” (Chicago Police Officer); Male/White; 35 years old;
On- Duty; Civilian Dress; Year of Appointment – 1998

None Sustained.

“Officer D” (Chicago Police Officer); Male/Hispanic; 32 years old;
On- Duty; Civilian Dress; Year of Appointment – 2006

WITNESS
OFFICER’S #3
INJURIES:

None Sustained.

SUBJECT:

“Subject 1”; Male/Black; 17 years old

SUBJECT’S
INJURIES:

Fatal gunshot wound to the back.

LOCATION:

5645 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois

DATE/TIME
OF INCIDENT:

04 July 2013, approximately 1342 hours.

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 INDEPENDENT POLICE REVIEW AUTHORITY
Log #1063293/U #13-26
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
This investigation, in conjunction with information gained through the investigation
initiated by the Chicago Police Department, revealed the following.
On 04 July 2013, Officer C (Driver Officer) and Officer B (Passenger Officer) assigned
to Beat #264C were in the area of Carter Elementary School, located at 5740 S. Michigan
Avenue, when they observed the subject, now known as Subject 1. Subject 1 was standing at the
north end of the playground, located on the east side of the school. Officer B and Officer C
observed Subject 1 grab the right side of his waistband and turn away from the officers. The
officers made a left turn onto Michigan Avenue and then turned into the parking lot behind
Carter Elementary School. Subject 1 fled on foot westbound through the parking lot and around
the front of the school. The officers pursued Subject 1 in their unmarked squad car. As the
officers rounded the corner to the front of the school, they observed Subject 1 run through an
opening in the gate and proceed westbound across Wabash. The opening of the gate was too
small for the officers’ squad car to fit through, so Officer B exited the squad car and began to
pursue Subject 1 on foot.
Subject 1 ran westbound across Wabash and into a vacant lot between 5724 and 5734 S.
Wabash. As Subject 1 continued to flee westbound, he pulled out a semi-automatic pistol from
his waistband. When Subject 1 reached the alley, he turned right and ran northwest to the
intersection of 57th and State Street. Officer B continued to pursue Subject 1 on foot and was
approximately twenty feet behind him. As Subject 1 got closer to the intersection of 57th and
State Street, he ran in front of the front building occupying Garden State Liquors and Food,
located at 5701 S. State Street, where Officer B lost sight of him.
As Subject 1 approached the intersection of 57th and State Street, he attempted to throw
the weapon he was holding into an open trash can. Subject 1 then rounded the corner and
attempted to flee east on 57th Street. When Subject 1 rounded the corner, he observed Officer C
coming towards him in his unmarked squad car on 57th Street. Subject 1 turned around, retrieved
his weapon from the ground near the trash can, ran across 57th Street and continued north on
State Street.
Officer D (Driver Officer) and Officer A (Passenger Officer) assigned to Beat #264B
responded to the area of 57th and State Street to assist Beat #264C. Beat #264B traveling
northbound on State Street, pulled alongside of Subject 1, announced their office and ordered
Subject 1 to “drop the gun.” Subject 1 turned right and headed eastbound through a vacant lot.
Subject 1 then turned toward the officers in Beat #264B, raised his right hand and pointed the
weapon toward the officers. Officer A, who was seated inside the squad car, discharged his
weapon eleven times, striking Subject 1 once.
Subject 1 dropped the weapon and then staggered east through the vacant lot. Subject 1
then turned back towards the weapon, as to retrieve it again, but collapsed under a tree just west
of the alley. Subject 1 was transported to John Stroger Hospital where he was later pronounced
dead.

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 INDEPENDENT POLICE REVIEW AUTHORITY
Log #1063293/U #13-26
INVESTIGATION:
Department Reports, the Tactical Response Reports (TRR) and the Officers’
Battery Reports (OBR), all provided information that is consistent with the statements given by
the involved officer, witness officers and Witness 1.
The OEMC and PCAD Reports were collected and made part of this investigation. An
analysis of said documents showed no information that is inconsistent with the facts as related by
the involved officers, witness officers and Witness 1.
The Chicago Fire Department Incident Detail Report documented that paramedics
responded to treat an unknown 19 year old African American gunshot victim at 5648 S. State
Street. The patient was found unresponsive in a vacant field with a gunshot wound to the chest
below the heart. The patient was found without a pulse, not breathing with fixed and dilated
pupils. The patient was classified as dead on arrival.
According to John Stroger Hospital of Cook County, the hospital had no record of
treatment for Subject 1. During a telephone conversation with the hospital’s Medical Release of
Information Department, the R/I was informed that there are no medical records for Subject 1
because he arrived at the hospital dead on arrival, he was not treated by any hospital personnel
and he was pronounced dead by an Investigator from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s
Office.
A Canvass of the area of the incident was conducted in an attempt to locate additional
witnesses and/or evidence. No additional witnesses or additional evidence were located.
Crime Scene Processing Reports and Evidence Technician Photographs documented
Officer B, the crime scene, and Carter Elementary School’s play lot and parking lot.
Video footage from security cameras located at the Garden State Food & Liquor store
at 5701 S. State Street captured a black male; now know as Subject 1 1 running northbound on
State Street toward the intersection of 57th and State Street. As Subject 1 ran past a trash can
located on the sidewalk near the intersection of 57th and State Street, Subject 1 attempted to
throw a dark colored handgun into the trash can. The handgun struck the side of the trash can and
fell onto the sidewalk. Subject 1, who had continued running into the intersection of 57th and
State Street, stopped in the street, turned around, ran back to where the handgun had fallen,
picked up the handgun and continued to run northbound across the intersection on State Street
from 57th Street. As Subject 1 ran across 57th Street, a dark colored unmarked Ford Crown
Victoria was observed driving westbound on 57th Street and made a right turn onto State in the
direction of where Subject 1 was running. A dark colored unmarked Chevy Tahoe was observed
driving northbound on State Street through the intersection of 57th and State Street in the
direction of where Subject 1 was running. Subject 1 changed direction and ran eastbound across
a grassy lot. The unmarked Crown Victoria made a right turn and drove eastbound onto what
1

Subject 1 was observed with braided hair wearing a pair of blue shorts, a white t-shirt, and a pair of white gym
shoes.

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 INDEPENDENT POLICE REVIEW AUTHORITY
Log #1063293/U #13-26
appeared to be an unpaved lot. The unmarked Chevy Tahoe stopped on the street by the grassy
lot and an unknown officer was observed exiting the Chevy Tahoe running in the direction of
where Subject 1 ran.
The video footage captured a plainclothes officer, now known as Officer B on foot
running northbound on State Street approaching 57th Street. Officer B appeared to be in pursuit
of Subject 1. Officer B ran across 57th Street toward the grassy lot where the Subject 1 ran. As
the Officer B ran eastbound on an angle across 57th Street, Officer B was observed raising his
left hand/arm and pointing what appeared to be a gun in the direction that Subject 1 ran.
Subject 1 ran out of the view of the camera. The officer that exited the Chevy Tahoe ran
out of the camera view. Officer B ran out of the view of the camera.
According to the Board of Education of the City of Chicago Law Department, the
William W. Carter Elementary School did not have video surveillance in the area where the
incident occurred.
Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Service Laboratory Report dated 17
September 2013, documents that the firearm belonging to Officer A was examined, test fired and
found to be in firing condition.
Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Service Laboratory Reports dated 16
December 2013 and 25 February 2014, documents that the pistol containing one live cartridge
and one magazine with five live cartridges recovered from Subject 1 was inventoried under
Inventory #12945858. The test revealed that the recovered pistol was operable. However, the test
did not reveal any latent impressions suitable for comparison.
The Postmortem Examination Report from the Cook County Office of the Medical
Examiner for Subject 1 classified Subject 1’s death as a homicide as a result of a gunshot wound
to the back.
The Toxicologic Analyses from the Cook County Office of the Medical Examiner for
Subject 1 indicates that Subject 1’s blood test was negative for Benzoylecgonine, Ethanol and
Opiates.
In a statement to IPRA on 04 July 2013, Witness 1, stated that he was sitting on his
porch when observed a black male wearing a white t-shirt, blue shorts with dreadlocks running
northbound on State Street near 57th Street. The black male ran passed the liquor store at the
corner of 57th and State Street and into the middle of the street at 57th Street. The black male then
stopped, turned around, ran back southbound to the sidewalk, reached down and picked up
something from the sidewalk. The black male then continued running northbound on State
Street. Witness 1 stated that he then heard police cars coming. He observed an officer in a gray
SUV hanging out of the window with his gun in his hand. He heard the officer tell the black male
that was running “Drop it.” When the black male ran past a line of trees on a vacant lot, he heard
gun shots. Witness 1 stated that he did not see who fired the gun shots because once he saw the

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 INDEPENDENT POLICE REVIEW AUTHORITY
Log #1063293/U #13-26
police officer in the SUV and heard the officer say “Drop it,” he began to move backwards into
his doorway.
In a statement to IPRA on 08 November 2013, Witness 2, stated that he was standing
in the alley between State Street and Wabash at 57th Street. He observed an officer wearing a red
shirt and black vest chasing a young man. The young man ran through a vacant lot and jumped
the railing near 57th and State Street. The officer wearing the red shirt then fired three shots at the
young man as the young man ran by the trees on the vacant lot. The officer wearing the red shirt
shot the young man once in the leg and then once in the back. 2 After the young man fell, he tried
to get up again, that’s when two more officers got out of their “marked blue and white” SUV and
started shooting at the young man. Witness 2 said that the young man did not have a gun when
he was shot by the police. Witness 2 related that he heard, prior to the shooting, that the young
man was at the Carter School, where he did have a gun, but he threw the gun away and one of
the young man’s associates got the gun. Witness 2 also stated that the young man’s mother came
to him with a lawyer and that he gave a statement to the lawyer.
Attempts to interview Witness 3 were unsuccessful. Witness 3 refused to give a
statement to IPRA in relation to this investigation.
In a statement to IPRA on 05 July 2013, Involved Officer A provided his account of
this event in a manner consistent with the Department Reports, witness officers and the
Summary contained within this report. Officer A added that he believes he fired his gun 8-10
times at Subject 1 after Subject 1 pointed a gun at Officer A. Officer A said he stopped firing his
gun after the threat had diminished when he observed that Subject 1 had been shot and collapsed.
Officer A stated that he had no option but to fire his gun because he felt like he was going to be
killed.
In a statement to IPRA on 04 July 2013, witness, Officer C provided his account of
this event in a manner consistent with the Department Reports, witness officers, Witness 1 and
the Summary contained within this report. Officer C added that he drew his weapon when he
exited his vehicle but he reholstered his weapon when he placed Subject 1 in custody.
In a statement to IPRA on 04 July 2013, witness, Officer B provided his account of
this event in a manner consistent with the Department Reports, witness officers, Witness 1 and
the Summary contained within this report. Officer B added that he never went near the body of
Subject 1. As he ran through the vacant lot toward Subject 1’s body, he observed the black semiautomatic handgun on the ground, so he stayed with the handgun.
In a statement to IPRA on 04 July 2013, witness, Officer D provided his account of
this event in a manner consistent with the Department Reports, witness officers, Witness 1 and
the Summary contained within this report.

2

There is no evidence indicating that the officer wearing the red shirt, now know as Officer B discharged his
weapon. Also, there is no evidence indicating that Subject 1 sustained a gun shot wound to his leg.

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 INDEPENDENT POLICE REVIEW AUTHORITY
Log #1063293/U #13-26
CONCLUSION AND FINDINGS:
This investigation found that the use of deadly force by Officer A was in compliance with
Department policy. According to the Chicago Police Department’s General Order 02-08-03, II:
A “A sworn member is justified in using force likely to cause death or great bodily harm
only when he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary:
1

to prevent death or great bodily harm to the sworn member or to another person, or;

2

to prevent an arrest from being defeated by resistance or escape and the sworn
member reasonably believes that the person to be arrested:
a

has committed or has attempted to commit a forcible felony which involved the
infliction, threatened infliction, or threatened use of physical force likely to cause
death or great bodily harm or;

b

is attempting to escape by use of a deadly weapon or;

c

otherwise indicates that he or she will endanger human life or inflict great bodily
harm unless arrested without delay.”

The actions of Officer A were in accordance with the conditions set forth in the Chicago
Police Department’s deadly force policy. Video footage clearly show Subject 1 was in
possession of a handgun and, based on the statements of Officer A and other witnesses, Subject 1
refused and failed to comply with Officer A’s verbal directions to drop the handgun. Subject 1’s
actions placed Officer A in imminent fear of great bodily harm or death to himself and his
partner.
Based on the totality of the circumstances and the Chicago Police Department Use of
Force Model, Officer A’s actions were justified and reasonable to prevent death or great bodily
harm to himself and his partner.

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